Shooting the Shentel commercial, Running photoshoot, and in CA!!

Man, it has been waaaay too long since my last post, but I got really busy with packing to move to California, and now that I'm here (yay!) I've been busy with UNpacking. lol.
But, since my last post, a lot has happened. Or, at least, it feels that way. lol.

Filming the Shentel commercial that I got through Erica Arvold Casting was a LOT of fun! It was a different experience than anything else I'd done too. The director was the camera-man and was filming most of the time. There weren't super specific directions, and no "Action" or "Cut," but it was more like he would tell us (the 4 other actors and me) a general sense of what he wanted us to do and then would just start filming. We started in a red Jeep and acted like we were driving to the swimming hole. We had music blasting and were just jamming out and having a blast - like college kids would do. :P I was the oldest of the group of us, 3 of them were still in college and one girl had just graduated. lol.

The director filming us!

Anyways, after filming in the Jeep we went to the swimming hole, which really was more of a rock/island thing right next to the road. We drove up the main road, pulled off onto the side, then walked down the drop-off on the other side of the guardrails to get to the river.

The big rock at the bottom of the screen is the one we jumped off of.

I was the second one to jump off of the rock - and it was so much fun! It was about a 12 foot drop, but the climb up to the top of the rock was the hardest - it was almost straight up and there weren't very many hand or footholds. I slipped once - the first time, and a couple of the others slipped too. One girl even sliced her wrist unknowingly.

Well, the director, Allan Vajda - for part of the time - was in the water below us with a little mini waterproof camera filming us. There were maybe 10 other people standing on the ground behind/next to the rock, some filming, some just watching (I'm still unsure as to who they were/their purpose for being there) - it was probably the biggest "crew" of any of the shoots I've been too, except maybe for the House of Cards shoot, though it probably comes close. Which is weird, because House of Cards is a BIG production, and this was just a commercial - not even a National one. haha.

Well, after jumping off of the rock for a few hours, we went back to our "base" (a firehall) and changed into dry clothes. Like an idiot, I forgot to bring a bra and underwear but brought like 4 different bathing suits. So I had to wear a dry bathing suit under my clothes the rest of the night - and the 2.5 hour drive home. lol. After changing, we went to another location by the river where they had built a bonfire. We roasted marshmallows and goofed off and stuff for a couple of hours. I think by this point everyone was getting a little frustrated and tired - a lot of the crew (and some of those random people who I think may have been from Shentel) were not in a very good mood and I could feel some tension between the director and some of them, and they even snapped at some of us actors too sometimes. For example, we were handed a guitar at the beginning of this portion of the shoot, and since I was the only one that had ANY experience with guitar - albeit, my experience was about 6 years ago - I was the one holding it. I was trying to "teach" one guy how to play (keep in mind they're filming this whole time) and one girl (for the life of me, I cannot remember her name!) started teaching us a song - everyone else was clapping their hands in time, and since I didn't have any hands free, I was VERY lightly drumming/tapping my fingers on the guitar. One of the "random" guys (I don't like using that word, but I don't know what his title/purpose was. He didn't have a camera and wasn't involved with any directing, I guess he was the owner of the guitar?) came up to me and snapped "Give me the guitar" and ripped it out of my hands. Lol. Similar things happened to other actors, but I don't remember what they were.

Anyways, the fire was SUPER hot and uncomfortable and they would film for minutes on end - sometimes I felt like my skin would blister lol.

Well, after about a 9 hour day, we wrapped up, got paid $500, and I went home, took a shower, and went to bed.

Here is the completed commercial! I can be seen in the opening (blue/green sweater), at 0:02-0:04, 0:34 (far right on the rock), 0:35 (and in the thumbnail picture), as well as 0:45 (on the tv, but I am not the one in focus, though I thought it was me at first lol).

Well, after filming that, I had one more shoot before I moved back to Cali. It was a running shoot with Photography by GregD, who runs the Studio at Dulles, near Mount Vernon. Basically, I ran for about an hour and a half almost non-stop. I took little walking breaks here and there, and there were fitness "stations" on the running trail, so I did a couple pull-ups, but pretty much it was the longest I have ever run. I got paid $100 for that (yay, that paid for one day's worth of gas on the drive cross country! lol). I just saw a couple of the photos online, and am just waiting for my CD to come in the mail.

Speaking of CDs, I also received my CD of images from the mock engagement shoot I did for Boston University in Georgetown. I will be posting some of those photos soon.

Well, now I'm in CA and am just trying to get settled in and unpack and stuff before I submit to auditions. I am supposed to start working at Macaroni Grill next week, and I do think I have one modeling shoot coming up soon with Brianna Noelle Photography. It's a Vampire themed shoot (for Halloween, I'm assuming) with two other models. One of whom, Tinisha Portillo, I know is another Marine wife like myself (the photographer is as well, not sure about the third model, though I would assume so. We tend to stick together lol) but Tinisha and I have talked some online and she has been very helpful and given me lots of great advice about modeling.

Anyways, I hope to stay on the ball with my posts, but if nothing new happens, then it's hard to find stuff to write about. lol. Gotta get back to unpacking! Yippee. =/

Thanks!

Shoot, Agent meeting

So, last Wednesday (one week ago) I had the House of Cards shoot. My call was 1:00 and there were 19 other extras in my "category." We were all colleagues of Kate Mara's character, Zoe. We were there for about 8 hours (short for a day on set!) and one guy was lucky and got a line! (It was "hi!" haha). But, we were told that we are supposed to be recurring characters. So I'm just hoping to get a call soon asking me to come back in! :) haha.
Today I had a meeting/interview with an agent. I left so that I would get there half an hour in advance, but the traffic was AWFUL because they were doing construction, which I did not know ahead of time because I never go that way. I arrived only a couple minutes after 1:00, but luckily the agent I was supposed to meet with was also stuck in traffic. Haha. So I waited for her to arrive for a little while but then the owner took me back and did the interview himself, though, interestingly, he didn't really ask that many questions about me. He told me about their company and some of their clients, and then filmed me doing two monologues. Then he got on the phone with the woman I was supposed to meet, and they talked about submitting my monologues to a movie that they are doing the casting for. But I had to start my monologue twice, cause after I started it the first time he stopped me cause the phone rang and he then proceeded to yell at his daughter/receptionist to not answer the phone again and to turn the ringer off. After he came back into the room and I was about to start, the phone rang and guess what? His daughter answered it and he went back out to fuss at her. He unplugged the phone and then I was able to start my monologue - but I was kinda off my game at that point so I don't think I did it as well as I have in the past.
I talked to my manager tonight about it, and he was thoroughly upset that Connie didn't show up and thought they behaved rather unprofessionally. Also, this company is an agency, casting company, and has an actors studio where they have workshops and classes. The owner told me that though they do not charge any up-front fees, they get a 15% commission (rather high for an agent) unless it's a large role, for which they get 20%. Also, their clients are not required to study at their studio, but most apparently do. Basically implied that they would want me to. AND, he said it would cost me $55 to get my headshot and information on their website. To which my manager said is total bull****. It's disappointing that the agency turned out to be a bit of a scam and not very professional. But, it was good experience. I have at least now talked to an agent and have a bit of an idea of what to expect when I get to California.
I don't have any more meetings or auditions or anything lined up at this time, unfortunately. But I'm constantly searching.
The commercial I shot in June was posted to Facebook today, and I'm just trying to figure out a way to get it onto my blog. I may have to wait for my acting coach to get me a copy of it on a cd but once I have it, I will put it up here.
Also, my IMDB rank went up, yay! I'm currently ranked at 38,993. This is so exciting! :) Especially considering I don't have any credits on my page. I can't wait until I finally do get some credits listed and then hopefully it will just continue to go up and up and up til I get the lead in Fifty Shades of Grey or some other blockbuster. :) heehee.

Date	Rank
2012 Jul 22	38,993
2012 Jul 15	73,373
2012 Jul 8	64,709
2012 Jul 1	99,953
2012 Jun 24	1,000,209

Well, that's all for now.
Thanks!
~Laura

Lesson, auditions, agents, etcetera

So, yesterday I had my acting lesson. It was my third one with this instructor - Russ Randall at Final Act Drama in Richmond Virginia. That's one thing about me - I'm very dedicated to anything I do - especially acting. Richmond is 2 hours away - so that's 4 hours in the car!
Well a little over a week ago, my manager told me to call this agent - Connie Lamothe (at 24/7 Models and Talent)- based in Virginia (he had already talked to her and told her I would be getting in touch to set up a time to meet). I called her and left a message and then never heard back. Yesterday I emailed my manager to tell him I hadn't heard back (while I was in Richmond) and then when I got home checked the messages and she HAD called. So I need to call back. Hopefully I will get in to meet her soon and maybe I'll get signed and will get some gigs while I'm still here in VA!
I also have to call Central Casting to find out about the House of Cards shoot on Wednesday as well as call the restaurant I work at to find out when I'm scheduled for this week.
I also have scheduled an audition next Wednesday for a web series called Shotgun Mythos. It sounds very interesting, but it would not be paid and it's in West Virginia - an hour and a half away. But it would be something to add to my resume, IMDB credit list and demo reel.
But grr... my IMDB starmeter dropped! I knew it would... but man I was hoping it would just keep going up! lol. I just need to keep submitting myself for auditions so more people will look at it and then it'd be so nice to get a job so I can add to my IMDB page!

I just called both Central Casting and Connie Lamothe - Central Casting told me to call back in an hour, and no one answered at 24/7 Models and Talent. Haha. Seems like I may be playing phone tag with Connie Lamothe for a while unless she calls back today and I don't miss the call for any reason! lol.

So... just going to try and pass time for another hour so I can call the Casting office. haha.

Well, that's all for now!
Thanks
~Laura

House of Cards Shoot

So, today I was supposed to be an extra in the new Netflix series "House of Cards" starring Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, and Kate Mara.

Kevin Spacey

Robin Wright

Kate Mara

But yesterday, when I went onto the casting company's website to check the call times and find my name and check-in number (as instructed) my name was not listed. In a panic, I emailed the casting company just double checking that I was still working the next day and had all the correct information. I received an email back in minutes from the woman I had spoken to on the phone that morning. She said she had left me a voicemail and wanted to know if I could work Wednesday instead of Friday. So I hurriedly leaned closer to window to pick up a signal to check my messages on my cell phone (no daggum service out here in the boonies lol). The message said "The production loved your look and they thought you were beautiful however, they think you're a little bit too pretty to do the scenes on Friday and so they would like you to do a scene with Kate Mara on Wednesday instead." WOOHOO! haha. I never thought I'd ever be "too pretty" for anything. Kinda thought it'd be the other way around. lol. I've never had super high self confidence - I mean I know I was blessed with some good looks and nice eyes but... jeez. lol. Anyways, so I was told to call back on Friday (today) to get more information. 
So I called this morning and was told that "the producer and director liked me but thought I would take away from Robin Wright if I was in the scene on Friday." WHAT? ha. Alrighty then. I don't think there's any way anyone could detract from the Princess Bride, but I'll take it. lol. I was told I would be working as a reporter with Kate Mara (her character is also a reporter). I would KILL to have some lines or even better, a recurring role! Anyway, I was instructed to call back on Tuesday to get the final info... that just seems so far off.... ugh. lol. 

On a different note, at my audition for Ping Pong Summer the other day, I caught myself judging the other actors. "Wow, her shorts are so short! You can see her bum!!" and "I can't believe she wore that to an audition!" Not all of it was bad though, I did compliment some of them in my mind: "Her dress is so cute, she's adorable." and "He looks like Kurt Hummel in Glee." But, I realized that, although I am competitive, judging another actor based on their appearance isn't going to help me get the part. It isn't going to stop them from possibly being amazing actors and just leaving the competition in the dust. And so, I'm going to do my utmost to stop judging and criticizing others - especially based on appearances. I have been so bad about it in the past. I mean, I know that I wouldn't judge or criticize another actor if it was Rachel McAdams or Robert Downey Jr or someone whom everybody knows. Because I'd be in awe. lol. But, I should do the same thing to other young actors. I should respect them and give them the benefit of the doubt - they may not dress professionally, but they still could be just as good as me if not better. 

So, at my upcoming audition on Saturday and then the shoot on Wednesday, I vow to do my best to not judge others and to be just as nice and kind inside my head as I am to people out loud. :P Well, I mean I vow to do that every day in every instance, but especially at auditions and shoots - being judgmental isn't going to help me or do me any favors. And I urge you all to do the same thing on an every day basis!!

That's all for now!
Thanks. 
~Laura

Ping Pong Summer Audition at Pat Moran Casting

So yesterday, I had my first "big" audition. Granted it's for an independent film, but it has Susan Sarandon and Amy Sedaris in it!
My new manager (woohoo!) Tom Townsend told me about this website (dragonukconnects.com) which has all of the major casting calls in this area. I found the one for Ping Pong Summer, submit myself, and they called me in for an audition! I found out less than 24 hours in advance, so the day that I got the call I stressed about what I was going to wear. Thank god for my mom and sisters (and dad on occasion) for helping me! The part I was auditioning for was a 16-17 year old teenage girl (circa 1985), whom after auditioning, I believe would be the lead character's sister. So, I was really worried I would not be able to make myself look 6 years younger than I am! Jeez I never thought I'd feel this old at not even 23. Haha.
I left early the next morning (not that 10:00 is early, but I mean I left early in that it takes 2.5 hours to get there, and I left 4 hours in advance). And I arrived in Baltimore almost 2 hours before my audition time was supposed to start. I grabbed some lunch at Qdoba (delish! First time in years actually) and then couldn't figure out where else to go so I went to the casting office, hoping I could find a bathroom in the building before I went in to their actual office to freshen up and maybe somewhere to sit for at least half an hour so I didn't look like a complete fool coming in an hour and a half early. No such luck. They had to buzz me in, and then there was nowhere to go but up the stairs and then the office. At least they let me wait in their waiting area and gave me the sides to study. I memorized them and then around 2:00, all at once a bunch of teens/young adults came in. Hard to judge some of their ages, but most of them were under 18 (could tell because their parents were with them) and then there were a couple who looked to be about my age or younger (no parents with them). And I was relieved to observe that not all of the female actors were up for the same role as me.
Being the first to arrive, I was the first called in to audition, and was a nervous wreck! It didn't go horribly though. We rehearsed the scene once, Pat Moran (casting director) told me I had "good instincts and good cadence/timing" but needed to "tone it down" a little. As I've always been taught, it's better to have them tell you to tone it down then to have them try and pump life into you. Much easier to get an actor to tone something down than to make it bigger. So I took that as a good thing! The second time through, they taped it. I fudged up one of the lines (dang it!) but not horribly so. I stayed in character and tried to fix it and keep going.
Once the scene was over (it was only about 10 lines long), Ms. Moran said to me, "That's all we need, thank you, good bye." Which threw me a little bit because I had been preparing to say something that my manager instructed me to say at the end of every audition. ("I really appreciate the chance to audition for you today. If given an opportunity, I promise I will work hard and will not let you down.") But I didn't feel as if there was an opening for it since she clearly had just told me to leave! lol. (not in a mean way, she was very nice but professional and extremely busy). So I just said, "Thank you for the opportunity." And left.
I was out of the office by 2:15 (and my original audition slot was 2:30). So I called my manager, grabbed some Starbucks, and drove the 2.5 hours home. Then ran 2.5 miles (it was a great stress reliever lol) and submit myself for more auditions.
Now, all that's left is to, firstly, no longer stress about it. Secondly, wait! I just pray for good news, as always. Cross your fingers for me! :D
Though this isn't related to the Ping Pong Summer audition, yesterday I also scheduled an audition for a local studio's commercial on Saturday and then today received a call from Central Casting asking me to work Friday in House of Cards (starring Kevin Spacey)! It's just as an extra, but I don't care! I'm just so excited! lol. Though the listing I responded to said "recurring/featured extras," so we'll see!
Keep checking back for more posts about my auditions and gigs. I'll try to update as frequently as possible.
Thanks!
~Laura